Pros And Cons Of Nuclear Medicine

In most cases nuclear medicine examinations identify health problems earlier than the other imaging examination methods (Nuclear Medicine and You, 2015). The entire body can be analyzed with nuclear medicine imaging (Nuclear Medicine and You, 2015). The advantage to this is if lesions have occurred. Nuclear medicine examinations also provide additional information to other diagnostics examinations (Nuclear Medicine and You, 2015). The major disadvantage is anatomic resolution (Nuclear Medicine and You, 2015). Nuclear medicine images aren't "pretty," they do not show much anatomic detail (Nuclear Medicine and You, 2015). For this reason, we have started to combine modalities. It is now possible to get a PET-CT which provides both anatomic and physiologic information. Another disadvantage is the exposure to radiation (Nuclear Medicine and You, 2015). A typical nuclear medicine exam exposes a patient to a little more radiation than a chest x-ray but less than a CT scan. The benefit of having a nuclear medicine exam outweighs the risk of not having it.

Medicine has developed into an astonishing work of pure art over the years. From an old village healer crushing the simplest herbs in ancient times, to large machines administering chemical formulas to patients today. The newest addition to this artwork is Nuclear Medicine. Nuclear Medicine is a medicine that deals with the use of radioactive substances entering the body to attach/ attack cells. Whether it be to diagnose, test, or to treat, this nuclear technology has driven the medical and chemistry world into the future.

Examples of industries that offer employment for nuclear medicine technologists are state, privet or local hospitals, physicians’ offices, clinics, medical and diagnostic laboratories, and outpatient care centers. Morton Hospital, which is local hospital located at Taunton, Massachusetts, is looking for a nuclear medicine technologist. Morton Hospital received a back-to-back leapfrog “Top Hospital” award for excellence in patient safety and in quality in 2013 and 2014. Also, Becker’s Hospital Review named it as one of 100 great community hospitals. The beneficial thing of Morton Hospital is provided patients and their families with outstanding care nearby home by the hospital’s team.

Nuclear Medicine is the use of radioisotopes for diagnosis, treatment, and research. Radioactive chemical tracers emit gamma rays which provides diagnostic information about a person's anatomy and the functioning of specific organs. Radioisotopes are also utilizes in treatments of diseases such as cancer. It is estimated that approximately one in two people in Western countries are likely to experience the benefits of nuclear medicine in their lifetime.

Radiation therapy is the ionization of atoms in tissues resulting in formation of highly reactive radicals in a well-defined, restricted volume (1). In other words, ionizing radiations are used to eradicate tumors and at the same time preserve structure and function of normal tissue. A limitation is prevented from being a problem. If bone marrow or neuronal cells are destroyed or injured, they do not regenerate. However, with radiation therapy, these cells are often saved from injury or destruction, unless the tumor is infecting bone marrow or neuronal cells. Today, radiation therapy is the most popular type of cancer therapy in use. It is used to treat one-half to two-thirds of all cancers, which translates to more than ten percent of the population

From surgery to radium exposure to such extremes as radiation therapy, as doctors’ knowledge of the varying types of cancer, and the expansion of medical research regarding cancer has changed, so has the preferred method of treatment. Doctors and researchers dedicated to studying cancer have led to a greater understanding of cancer development; consequently the development of treatments and cures that are more effective, less harmful, have fewer side effects, and in some cases serve to prevent the spread of cancer.

This is a very common procedure due to the exceptional results backed up by it. For instance, “About half of all cancer patients receive some type of radiation therapy sometime during the course of their treatment” (National Cancer Institute). The benefits of using this type of treatment is that it is very cost-effective and contributes 40% of all cancer cures worldwide. The cons of using this therapy are the side effects. This remedy is very rough on the body with the effects of bleeding and pain in the organs. Many people believe it isn’t worth it because of the unbearable side-effects but others argue that most cancer patients are already in pain so why not go the extra mile to reduce/end the torment. The question is, do the pros outweigh the cons?

The use of radioactive elements in medicine is still growing to this day. Many oncologists use it to treat their patients who have cancer. Many cancer patients use this option. They use the radiation to kill off cancer cells. X-ray technicians or radiologists will also use it to administer x-rays to people who may have a broken bone, or need an MRI. The patient is injected with a radioactive material that helps the doctor be able to see inside the body better, whether it be with pictures or ultrasound. Radioactive material is defined as “material that contains radioactivity and thus emits ionizing radiation. It may be material that contains natural radioactivity from the environment or a material that may have been made radioactive.” (The Healthy Physics Society). This happens when someone needs a colonoscopy. They have to drink or are injected with this liquid that helps their organs and all other masses in the body be seen better by the radioactive materials.

In 2007, it is predicted that almost 1.5 million people will be diagnosed with cancer in the United States (Pickle et al., 2007). More than half of these cancer patients will undergo the use of radiation as a means for treating cancer at some point during the course of their disease (Perez and Brady, 1998). Cancer, a disease caused by an uncontrollable growth of abnormal cells, affects millions of people around the world. Radiotherapy is one of the well known various methods used to treat cancer, where high powered rays are aimed directly at the tumor from the outside of the body as external radiation or an instrument is surgically placed inside the body producing a result of internal radiation. Radiation is delivered to the cancerous regions of the body to damage and destroy the cells in that area, terminating the rapid growth and division of the cells. Radiation therapy has been used by medicine as a treatment for cancer from the beginning of the twentieth century, with its earliest beginnings coming from the discovery of x-rays in 1895 by Wilhelm Röntgen. With the advancements in physics and computer programming, radiation had greatly evolved towards the end of the twentieth century and made the radiation treatment more effective. Radiation therapy is a curative treatment approach for cancer because it is successful in killing cancerous tumor cells and stop them from regenerating.

Talk to your doctor about existing health conditions and family genetics prior to receiving medical treatments involving radiation therapy. In most cases, radiation doses are controllable, aiding in the prevention of tumor growth. Your doctor can also prescribe and monitor interactions of medications or chemical treatments of an existing condition triggering the spread of

In this investigation i will endeavour to find out whether there is any risk using Technetium 99m in medicine and keep a balanced point of view for and against.

“Patients who chose alternative therapies to treat a common, curable cancer instead of opting for the recommended medical treatment double their risk of death, according to a recent study published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.” (Scutti). But, it is understandable why some people would like to try an alternate form of treatment for their cancer. Some western treatment methods of cancer are things like chemotherapy and radiation. Each of which can have multiple complications. Chemotherapy works by attacking active cells, cells that are growing and dividing, like some healthy cells (ASCO Cancer.Net). This can cause Headaches, stomach pain, muscle pain, and nerve pain such as burning, numbness or shooting pains(ASCO Cancer.Net). “High doses of radiation therapy are used to destroy cancer cells. Side effects occur because radiation therapy can also damage healthy cells and tissues near the treatment area.”(ACSO Cancer.Net). Some of the side effects are skin problems, fatigue, and some specific side effects that can happen due to what part of the body is being treated(ASCO Cancer.net). With all these side effects it is understandable if someone would like to try an alternative way of treating their disease. They are already suffering from a terrible disease that makes them sick, they should not have to go through the side effects of the treatment if there

Somehow not only drugs but other option to treats tumour for targeted therapy oncologist will used radiation which radioactive rays are used to cure or palliate cancers. The objective is to deliver a therapeutic dose of radiation to the malignant tissue, leaving healthy, surrounding tissues unharmed. Radiation therapy is used to treat many cancers, including cancers of bone, brain, breast, cervix, lymphoid tissues, and uterus. By then, from diagnosis through end of life, nurses play an obscure role in enhancing the quality of life of the patients especially which has undergone the treatment or newly diagnosed. Nurses are in a unique position to manipulate both the physiologic

* Radioactive iodine to destroy thyroid tissue and lower the amount of hormone being produced

Being a nuclear medicine technology means creating images of different area of the patient’s body and preparing radioactive drugs and administer them to patients undergoing the scans. The technologists